Lara Croft and the Order of the Dragon
by Annabella Carter
Summary: What would happen if Lara had to face off against vampires? A mix of the historical Dracula and Bram Stoker's character. An action based story. Would take place after the events of the game Tomb Raider Underworld.
1. Chapter 1

Tomb Raider:

Lara Croft and the Order of the Dragon

The roar of a motorcycle disrupts the quiet of the village. It winds around the street corners lined with small but firm houses riddled with cracks from past earthquakes. The roar of the motorcycle collides with the ocean drowning all other sounds out. The sound even reaches the quiet of the farmland that lies amongst the hills. The volcano watches the motorcycle's progress from the peak of the island.

The rider soars so fast, all that can be seen of them is their long braid of hair. The rider nears the harbour narrowly avoiding the people that line the sidewalk.

"There goes that mad man again," an old and withered Portuguese fisherman says in his native tongue to his friends. The men laugh at their inside joke and continue gutting their fish. The motorcycle reaches the docks heading out to the ocean. Near the end of the dock a rustic transport boat is leaving its port. The motorcycle picks up speed, heading for the ocean. The bike leaves the dock, riding on air, suspended in motion. The rider pulls off the impossible jump, landing comfortably on the boat.

The rider dismounts from the bike. All the sailors ogle the lean body of the rider, her curves hugged by leather. The helmet comes off and it is none other than Lara Croft.

"You weren't going to leave without me, were you?" she says in her crisp British accent.

"We would never dream of it, Lara," the captain bellows through his moustache, in a deep voice. "I could only _dream_ of leaving you behind."

"Captain Vinez, always such the charmer," Lara replies in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't talk back to me girl, without me you wouldn't be going anywhere." Vinez then turned away from Lara, dismissing her, "Jose, show Lady Croft to her cabin."

Lara is led to her room which resides in the belly of the ship. Lara takes in her surroundings before settling herself in, placing her dual pistols beneath her pillow. She passes the time by taking a leisurely nap.

A short while later Lara is awoken from her dreams of treasures and tombs by a persistent knocking upon the door to her cabin. One of the crewmen is there, carbuncular and nervous. He is looking down at the floor when he mumbles, "The Captain wishes to see you on deck".

"Why thank you, here," Lara leans in giving him a kiss on the cheek and a healthy tip. The man runs away before he has a chance to spoil the moment for himself, as he somehow manages to always do. Before going to meet Vinez Lara changes into her comfortable black Legend outfit, which consists of a tight black t-shirt and tight black shorts. To complete the outfit she straps on her holsters and her guns.

Above, the Captain awaits Lara with a disgruntled look rippling across his face, "So, Lara, what brings you to the Azores?"

The Azores: nine islands hidden away in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the hidden gem of Portugal. Covered in green farmlands and volcanoes next to the glistening blue sea. To the rest of the world they are a mystery, but to the locals and wealthy tourists they are a familiar sight.

"What? Can't a girl take a vacation every once in a while?' Lara chimed.

The Captain bellowed an exasperated sigh through his moustache, "Lara, when it comes to you it is never that simple. I don't believe I've ever heard of the Great Lady Lara Croft taking a vacation. Now, tell me, why are you really here?"

"Vinez, I'm not in the custom of lying, I'm just here in order to relax."

The Captain sighed again, "Well, knowing you, you'll end up stumbling into some sort of trouble," he continued, rolling his eyes all the while, "Try to be careful will you? I don't need my island sinking down into the ocean!"

"Oh Vinez, you really should lose that sigh. And you should know I'm _always_ careful," Lara said with a coy smile and a sparkle in her eye.

"If you're careful then I'm a blonde supermodel in a bikini!" Vinez said but, as he turned to face her, he found she was already gone.

Later on in the day, as the boat docked in the port of Terceira, Lara jumped off onto the docks.

"Lara!" Vinez called from his boat, "If you need a place to stay you could always stay with me. It may not be Croft Manor but, at least you'd have a bed to sleep on."

"I'll be fine. I know of a place." And with that Lara gave a final wave and headed towards the village.

It was early evening and samosa scented the air with a spicy flavour. The sky was red and the sun was quickly fading. There were still many people out in the streets finishing off the chores of the day and preparing to settle down for the night. Lara's stomach began to grumble at the scent of all the food cooking so she decided to stop at a small restaurant for a quick dinner.

Lara sat at a solitary table tucked away in the corner of the restaurant. There were a few couples scattered around the room but, the atmosphere was a private and intimate one. She sat alone nursing a goblet of water and nibbling on a biscuit as she waited for the waiter to bring her meal.

"Would you like another glass?"

"Yes, please," Lara intoned, looking up expecting to see her waiter hovering over her but, saw instead a dark-eyed stranger.

"Good evening, Lady Croft. May I sit?"

"No," Lara said but, the stranger was already in the process of seating himself. The waiter arrived with her dinner and asked the gentleman sitting with her if he needed anything; he politely declined and the waiter moved away.

"Who are you?' Lara asked while looking down at the steam rising from her food, failing to reach for her fork having now lost her appetite. She took the moment of silence caused by the evasion of her question to identify her dinner partner. He was a dark-eyed man of medium build with a permanent smirk on his face that Lara was dying to punch off. His skin was a deathly white in sharp contrast to his dark brows and hair save for the streak of white to one side. He has full lips and a strong nose and jaw line; there was a redness beneath his eyes that hinted at a lack of sleep. One of his small hands reached out to the candle on the table and twirled it around as he spoke.

"An ally. With a proposal for you."

Abruptly Lara got out of her seat and prepared to walk away. "A marriage proposal, how sweet," she replied sarcastically, "but I'm sorry I don't have time for this"

As Lara was turning from the table she felt the grip of cold, hard steel encircle her wrist. She gazed into dark, fathomless black eyes that revealed nothing, save her own reflection.

"Excuse me, Lady Croft, but I believe you will find it wiser to remain seated until you have heard my proposal."

Though she did not fear the man she cooperated with him anyways. "All right, I'm listening," she said as she resettled herself. She again looked down at the food awaiting her, the steam beginning to ebb off. Though her body craved it her mind was too preoccupied with the situation facing her; she was incapable of engaging in the mundane act of eating.

"As I was saying," he shot her a writhing glare that would have had a lesser woman quaking in fear, "I am here on serious business. I believe that we are of similar minds and I am in need a partner for a task I am about to undertake. The benefit to you would be a sizeable profit and…"

Lara leaned forward with a look in her eyes that proved her resolve was an equal match to his, "I'm not a mercenary for hire, money is not a motivation for me, so you'll have to do better than that."

"Now, Miss Croft, if you would stop rudely interrupting me," Lara rolled her eyes at his tone and choice of words, "Where was I?" He continued to twirl the candle around as he thought, "Oh, yes, well the completion of this task would also be a huge ego boost," he chuckled at her venomous glare, "And more than that it could possibly avoid the outbreak of the third World War," he paused to emphasize his point and to assure himself of her attention, "As I said before I believe we are of similar minds in terms of wanting to avoid such catastrophes and, to be honest, I seek revenge and will do whatever I can to obtain it," he finished with a flourish of his hands, causing the candle flame to go out, plunging himself into darkness.

"I am a very busy woman…sir. I hear these offers on a constant basis. What is so special about your case?" She quirked an eyebrow, "Why should I help you?

"Well because…" the man paused as he thought his answer over while studying his hands, "I could recite many reasons, but I fear you will simply dismiss them. Because _you_ need to see to believe." He gazed at Lara for a long moment; she felt as though she were being tested. The dark-eyed stranger nodded to himself, convinced of something. "Go to Romania, Poenari, study the Devil's castle. See if you find anything that convinces you of my sincerity."

Lara was about to utter her doubt, but as she searched the shadows hiding her table partner the glitter in his eyes told her he fervently believed in what he was saying, "And you won't tell me anymore than that?"

"I'm afraid not. When you have made our discovery," he leant over into the light again and placed a card before her, "you can contact me here." For the first time that night he smiled at her with not only his lips, but also his eyes, "I anticipate the day we commence working together." With a salute and the echo of his boots he exited the restaurant.

Lara looked at the card before her. It had the name William Burton etched upon it and a telephone number. As she sat there, Lara felt consumed by numerous questions and the sudden desire to discover the answers.

2


	2. Chapter 2

**As usual, I don't own Lara Croft or Bryce or Hilary or anything else referred to. To be honest I'm not quite sure where this story is going yet but it's fun getting there. So please, tell me what you think.**

Afterward she walked around on the brick road, the only real road in the town, keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen even though there appeared to be no one else around. She did not trust that William Burton. He had a better poker face than herself and this made her cautious. She did not yet know what he was capable of.

She stopped at an undescript house, so ordinary it was painful. Wandering around to the back she pulled out an old rusty key and opened the backdoor. She proceeded to turn on all the lights and searched each room to make sure there were no surprises awaiting her.

"Ah, peace and quiet, just as I left it," Lara said to no one, "I really should stay here more often."

The place was considered one of Lara's vacation homes. As everyone knows though, Lara never goes anywhere to relax. She had been in this home only once before in order to explore the islands with a close companion. The house was like all Azorean homes. It was small, two stories and imperfect. There were modest cracks and the paint was peeling off the walls. It was quite dusty and Lara found giant cockroaches on the floor of the kitchen, whom she killed promptly having no patience for insects in her home. A positive aspect of the home was that Lara had bought it under another name, so no one could know where she was. Lara would describe the home in one word: perfect.

Now, Lara knew she had to do something that she had been dreading. She arranged herself in the living room with her laptop and her web-cam and e-mailed home. Bryce and Hilary answered immediately. Their faces soon appeared on the screen in front of Lara.

"Lara! Bloody Hell! Where have you been? It was real nasty of you leaving and not telling us where you were going!" Bryce blurted out.

"It's been a week!" Hilary, the worry some man that he was, screamed at her.

"Never mind all that. I need you to do a search on William Burton. He's middle-aged, dark hair, slender build. Tell me who he is and who he works for. Use whatever means you have to," Lara said dismissing their anguish.

"William Burton? Lara. We don't even know where you are! There must be a million William Burton's in the world! Wha…" Bryce was tormented by his utter confusion.

"I'm in the Azores and all will become clear to you in time. I need you to do the search now!" Lara demanded in her firmest tone.

Bryce and Hilary were Lara's best friends. They lived in the manor with her and were like brothers to her. Hilary was Lara's butler. His father before him and his father before him and so on had all been butlers for the Croft family. Hilary was always protective of her, much like her father had been. Bryce on the other hand seemed to lack all common sense and yet was a computer genius. He was a short, skinny, weak man. He was a nerd with a fascination for helicopters. His computer intelligence was always extremely useful, but at times he talked more than he worked.

"Lara, but I…" Btyce stuttered.

"Do it!" Lara logged off, not wanting to waste any more time. She knew without a doubt Bryce would do what he was told. While she waited Lara made herself a cup of tea and contemplated the man with the bride of Frankenstein hair and the offer he had made her. She did not trust him, that much was evident, but she did believe the conviction she saw in his eyes. She wondered what she would find if she went to Romania as he had suggested. It was a tempting offer she had to admit. She had never been to the area and the tale of Dracula was a fascinating one. Who knew what could be found within his lair?

"Oh shoot! How do you make this thing work?" Hilary's face suddenly materialized on Lara's computer screen, "Is it on? Is it on? Oh, yes, Lara there you are! Are you taking care of yourself? You know you should…" Hilary seemed to think that Lara could not take care of herself despite the fact that she faced off against various boogie men and bad guys on a daily basis.

"Okay Lara, I…Hey! Hilary! What do you think you are doing? Get off! Go on! Out!" Bryce was screaming at Hilary as he hated anyone touching his computer. He wouldn't even let Hilary clean in the tech-room for fear that Hilary touched a button by accident.

"Well Lara I believe I have found your man. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Bryce, would you just get on with it?"

"Alright, here we go. Mr. Burton, as seen here," Bryce sent her a picture showing the same man she had talked with in the restaurant, "lives in London and travels often all around the world. He is a wealthy business man who inherited the vast majority of his fortune."

"That's all fine and dandy," Lara quipped with a sigh, "but that doesn't tell me what his motivations are or who he works for or what his interests in Romania are."

An exasperated Bryce said, "Well ,sorry Lara, but that's all I've got," he continued on in a patronising voice, "Mr. Burton's been a law abiding citizen, flying under the radar for all of his thirty-five years."

Lara mulled over the situation as she pulled out William Burton's business card. She knew that she was not prepared to let go of this situation just yet. She was intrigued by the man and the mystery surrounding him, never mind the possibility of discovery in Romania.

As Lara uttered her next words she closed her eyes with contempt, "Do you boys know the story of Vlad Dracula?" When Lara opened her eyes it was to the sound of laughter. "Are you mocking me?" She asked with incredulity ringing in her voice and wrath shining in her eyes.

Bryce answered her, still spontaneously bursting into giggles, "Yes, I know Dracula. Gary Oldman, with his hair in two buns, trailing a red cape, saying 'I don't drink…wine' and then turning into a bat and flying away?" He then continued to guffaw some more while Lara quietly waited for his little tirade to end.

"Are you done now?" She asked. Bryce nodded his affirmation while continuing to smirk to himself. "Bryce," she began while reaching out to hold the web-cam as she spoke, "the Dracula history knows of is not the Dracula you believe he is." She took a deep breath, preparing her herself before she continued, "I am speaking of Vlad Tepes, prince of Wallachia in the 15th century; The Impaler."

When Bryce heard the name he made a grimace of understanding, "Oh, that guy. He was a nasty piece of work wasn't he?"

"In a manner of speaking: yes." Lara now searched her brain for any information she knew of the former prince. He was a ruthless warrior who fought the Ottoman Turks all his life. His favourite form of punishment was impalement and he used it on any and every on, no matter how big or small the crime. The upside to that though was there was soon no crime in his lands at all."

"Well there's still no excuse for that kind of horrendous thing."

"No, Bryce, there isn't." Lara was still deep in thought, planning her next course of action. Should she go home and do more research before going to the Devil's castle in Romania?

"Lara, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"

"Bryce, I'll contact you again when I get to Romania."

"Lara, are you insane? You have no idea what you'll find there. I don't think you should get mixed up in anything to do with Dracula or this Mr. Burton."

"No Bryce, I'm not insane. Just intrigued by it all. And compelled to find the answers." With that, Lara prepared for her next adventure.


End file.
